Colin Maxwell

Social Media
Dr. Mirrer
Final Essay
5/18/15

Success in the entertainment industry has thrived in the past thanks to pure individual
talent and personal connections, as well as face recognition and the evolution of television. Ever
since the turn of the century, the rise of technology has changed the ways we look at how these
successes in the entertainment industry are viewed. Both the entertainment industries, such as
the film, television, and music industries, and the technology industries have been seeing more
success due to social media marketing. With the topic I choose amongst the Hootsuite modules
provided, 3 Steps to Social Success in Entertainment: How MTVs The Buried Life is Growing
a Loyal and Engaged Audience, the module informed me ways in which various forms of social
media has enhanced the ability for an individual or a business to market and advertise themselves
through numerous avenues of social media. Social media allows the entertainment industry to
stay engaged and connected with their audience, as well as promote their product, or themselves,
through these new advancements of technology.
According to a study completed by the Hollywood Reporter, 88% of respondents view
social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook as a new form of entertainment (Solis 1).
The article written in Social Media Today, also states that social media is more than a digital
water cooler for TV and movies, and that the global conversation that takes place around events
and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer

preferences. In another report done by The Connector, 79% of connected television viewers
visit Facebook while watching TV. Additionally, 83% surf the web while viewing TV and 41%
tweet about the show while theyre watching (The Connector 2). From both of these studies, we
can definitely conclude that social media is growing within everybody in their everyday lives,
especially in the film and entertainment industries.
Although entertaining media content is considered to be highly influential on values and
norms shared by the recipients, little is known about the orientation and self-perceptions of
entertainment media workers conveying these values and norms. In this scholarly article in
Media, Culture, & Society, it gives an overview of existing research on TV entertainment
workers and it concludes that the common stereotype of commercial orientation cannot be
sustained (Siegert 1). The study done in this article compares both producers and commissioners
in five European countries. The studies are done to develop a typology with these two. In the
scholarly journal of the Theory, Culture, & Society, Susan Christopherson finds evidence from
industry reports and labor union data that indicate while the demand for media continues to rise,
much of the increase in demand is in low-budget productions (Christopherson 1). The article
mostly examines how production trends are affecting the media workforce. In the European
Journal of Communication, the discussion of how the TV format trade became a global industry.
Formatted brands exist in all TV genres and reach almost every country in the world, said Jean
Chalaby. The article mainly spoke about how the global television industry really began in the
1950s and not the 1990s like most people would think. It is social media and the advancement
of technology that has been the factor of changing the current entertainment industries in present
day, but movies and television remain the major aspects of entertainment that started the wave of
how entertainment is viewed today. This article mainly focused on the convergence of all these

factors, and how the entertainment industry today is not just affected by both TV and movies, but
by the evolution of social media as well. According to Blue Door Inc. when consumers post
about a TV show that they are watching about social media, the company behind the show
benefits from the exposure. This coincides exactly with how my Hootsuite module explains how
the MTV show has gained more and more popularity by having their fans Tweet and Instagram
pictures and videos about their favorite episodes. The shows producer allows its fans to also
recommend potential future shows by Tweeting in their personal preference. Since the show is
about a bucket list of 100 things to do before you die, social media has allowed the connection
between its fans and the shows producers to basically dictate where the show could be headed.
This not only gets more and more fans involved since their suggestion could be a future episode,
but it is fun and more entertaining for the fans as well. This strategy by the MTV producers only
makes them and the TV show, The Buried Life, that much more popular within the social
media community.
As the entertainment industry is still flourishing and thriving thanks to the millions of
fans that are in need of pop culture, social media is the main reason why social success is
booming within these industries. Being able to Facebook and Tweet live about favorite actors on
television shows or share trending music is what has made both these avenues of entertainment
succeed. As the entertainment industry has been a key aspect in how we as people can keep
ourselves occupied and intrigued daily, social media is one of the main reasons, if not the most
important reason, why the industries of global entertainment continue to thrive.

Works Cited
Chalaby, J. K. (2011). The making of an entertainment revolution: How the TV format trade
became a global industry. European Journal Of Communication, 26(4), 293-309.
doi:10.1177/0267323111423414
Christopherson, S. (2008). Beyond the Self-expressive Creative Worker: An Industry Perspective
on Entertainment Media. Theory, Culture & Society, 25(7/8), 73-95.
doi:10.1177/0263276408097797
How Social Media influences Film and Entertainment industry - SocialMedia.ie. (2012,
December 17). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://socialmedia.ie/how-social-media-influencesfilm-and-entertainment-industry/
Social Media Boosting Entertainment Industry. (2015, March 15). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from
http://www.bluedoorinc.com/social-media-boosting-entertainment-industry/
Solis, B. (2012, May 17). Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment
experience. Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/musicfilm-tv-how-social-media-changed-entertainment-experience
von Rimscha, M. B., & Siegert, G. (2011). Orientations of entertainment media workers:
entertainment media workers disrespect and neglect. Media, Culture & Society, 33(7), 10091026. doi:10.1177/0163443711415743